2022.03.08 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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February 22, 2022 Page 5 of 6 Councilmember Axberg agreed and questioned what the State was trying to achieve. City Manager Massopust explained this bill was related to growth of communities in the metro area and wanting growth to be sustainable in the metro area. Councilmember Abdulle stated he liked the idea of letting decision makers have the tools to decide what works or doesn’t work for their own communities. He questioned what was problematic with the proposed legislation. City Manager Massopust reported this Resolution was not in response to any one specific bill. Rather, there might be pieces or portions of a bill that the Council agrees with, but the City may be opposed to because it would lock the community into a specific way it had to develop. He indicated this Resolution offers a team approach. He stated he wanted the Council to have the tools they need to promote affordable housing and good smart growth without the confines of the State telling the City how to do this. Councilmember Abdulle indicated he was not convinced the Council had to take these steps at this time. He stated he saw some value in the bill as proposed by the State. Councilmember Allen explained some of the proposed bills would not allow cities to have a higher State minimum wage. He commented others would provide earned sick and safe time for employees and would set a minimum bar and would not allow cities to have higher standards. Councilmember Abdulle thanked Councilmember Allen for his comments and clarification. City Manager Massopust reported the Resolution as proposed stated local legislators have a better idea of what works in the community and the City Council would prefer to do this versus the State setting mandates. Further discussion ensued regarding the density requirements within the State’s proposed bill. Councilmember Abdulle questioned if there were other examples of State bills that were problematic. City Manager Massopust stated another concern was related to fees collected for parks. Parks and Recreation Director Fink explained another proposed bill would set limits on how quickly park development fees have to be spent and where they could be spent. She discussed how the City funded Lions Park and noted the proposed bill would have limited the City’s ability to fund this park. She feared that the City would not be able to utilize park development fees in a manner in which it can make the City more inclusive if the proposed bill were to move forward. Councilmember Abdulle thanked staff for the additional information. He explained there was always an opportunity for things to go wrong but he believed it was always better to err on who was closer to the ground, or the needs of the people. He stated he would be happy to support this Resolution, even though he saw some benefits to the density bill. Motion by Councilmember Allen, seconded by Councilmember Axberg to adopt a Resolution from the League of MN Cities in support of local decision making to combat current legislation seeking to limit local land use authority. A roll call vote was taken. 4 Ayes, 0 Nays-Motion Carried Commission Liaison Reports, Announcements and Updates Devin Massopust City Manager Massopust reported a bill was introduced last week related to the City’s whistle free zones. He noted he would report back to the Council on how this bill progresses. He stated the City Council would be returning to in-person/hybrid meetings on Tuesday, March 22. He explained the City Council Strategic Priority Planning Session would be held on Saturday, March 5. Graeme Allen Councilmember Allen reported the Public Safety Commission met last week and discussed lowering residential speed limits to 25 miles per hour. He noted several surrounding communities have already made this change. He explained staff was directed to complete a Commission Liaison Reports, Announcements and Updates